Flashing Yellow Arrow, Center Turn Lane, and a Crosswalk
A driver in Albuquerque approaches a six-lane arterial at dusk in light rain. She wants to turn left. The signal shows a flashing yellow arrow. Across the intersection, oncoming traffic includes a pickup and a city bus. On her approach, the center lane is marked with a broken yellow line on the left and a solid yellow line on the right, with white arrows pointing both ways. She also plans to turn right out of a one-way street a few blocks later. The stop line is several feet before a marked crosswalk, and a pedestrian with a dog is waiting at the corner. She is unsure whether the flashing yellow arrow means she may turn, whether she can enter the center lane early to prepare, and whether she must stop before the crosswalk or the stop line.
1. What does the flashing yellow arrow permit, and who has the right of way while she turns?
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A flashing yellow left arrow means the turn is permitted but unprotected. She may enter the intersection and turn when it is safe, but she must yield to:
- oncoming traffic, including the pickup and the bus;
- pedestrians in the crosswalk, including the person with the dog;
- any vehicle already lawfully inside the intersection.
It is not the same as a green arrow, which would give her a protected turn. A common crash pattern is a driver treating the flashing yellow as permission to go without checking oncoming lanes. The correct sequence is to pull forward, watch the oncoming lane and crosswalk, and complete the turn only when there is a clear gap.
2. Can she use the center lane with the broken yellow on one side and solid yellow on the other to prepare for her turn?
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That is a two-way left-turn lane. Its purpose is to let vehicles from either direction leave traffic and wait for a safe gap to turn left.
She may enter it when she is actually preparing to turn, but she may not:
- use it as a travel lane or a passing lane;
- use it to accelerate and merge into through traffic;
- enter it far in advance and drive along it for a long distance.
The markings tell the story: the broken line on her left means traffic from the opposite direction may also use the lane. Anyone treating it as a private turn lane risks a head-on conflict with a vehicle coming the other way to turn. She should signal, enter only as she approaches her turn, and wait there for a safe gap.
3. Where should she stop, and what rule applies to her later right turn out of a one-way street?
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Stop at the stop line, which is the solid white line set back before the crosswalk. The crosswalk is the pedestrian area, not the place to stop. If there were no stop line, she would stop before the crosswalk, and if there were no crosswalk, before the intersection. Stopping on the line keeps the crosswalk clear for the person with the dog.
For the later right turn: a right turn on red is allowed after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it. Turning right from a one-way street onto another one-way street is also permitted on red after stopping, and New Mexico similarly allows a left turn on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street unless posted otherwise. The key steps are a full stop, yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic, and checking for a posted prohibition.